This site is currently dedicated to covering the fortunes of the South Western High School MUSTANGS football team in York County, Pennsylvania. SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON columns will be posted for a preseason review and following each game during the season. And we will follow my Alma Mater, the CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High School in Bergen County, New Jersey, with THE GRIDIRON columns by my twin brother Dick, the stadium announcer "Voice of the CUTTERS."

Thursday, January 16, 2014

FAIR LAWN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RECORD 1943 – PRESENT

NBIL
The B-PIL was renamed in 1956 as the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League,
1956 – 1958 and 1984 - 2008

NNJIL Northern
New Jersey Interscholastic League, 1959 – 83

North Jersey
Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) 2009

Big North
Conference (BNC) Liberty Division 2010-

The 1940s

1943 4
- 1 - 1 (.800) Independent Schedule

19445 - 3 - 1 (.625)Independent Schedule

19454
- 3 - 2 (.571)B-PIL Champs!

19466
- 3(.667) B-PIL Co - Champs with
Bogota

19478
- 1(.889) B-PIL Co – Champs with
Lyndhurst

19484
- 3 - 1 (.571)

19497
- 1(.875)PFPA

TOTALS:38-15-5 (.717) 843458

A great start
for the new “CUTTERS Of Fair Lawn
High” under coaches Marty Fischbein 1943 – 44 and Frank Bennett starting in
1945. Bennett’s CUTTERS joined the B-PIL his first yearand won championships in 1945, 46 and
47.

The 1950s

1950 1 - 7(.125)

19513 - 5(.375)

19526 - 2 – 1 (.750)

19537
- 1(.875) B-PIL
Champs & Co-State Group III Champs with

Hackensack

19542
- 6(.250)

19557
- 1(.875) B-PIL Champs

19565
- 3(.625)

19573
- 3 - 1(.500)

19582
- 5 - 1(.286)

19596
- 2(.750)PFPA

TOTALS:42-35-3(.545)1,3581,174

1943-59:80-50-8(.625)2,2011,632

The 1950s saw Bennett’s CUTTERS take 2 more B-PIL titles just missing in 1952. The

League changed its name in ’56 when
Hawthorne, the only Passaic County school,

dropped out. Fair Lawn and Ridgewood
moved up to the NNJIL in 1959 and
the

CUTTERS
nearly took the title
finishing a half game behind Hackensack though the

CUTTERS
hadbeaten the COMETS 27-6.

The 1960s

19600-9(.000)

19613-5(.375)

19625-4(.556)

19635-4(.556)

19646-2-1(.750)

19658-0-1(1.000) NNJIL
Champs

19668-1(.889)NNJIL Champs

19673-6(.333)

19685-4(.556)

19696-3(.667)PFPA

TOTALS:49-38-2 (.563)1,4761,188

1943-69:129-88-10 (.594)3,6772,820

Wow, what a decade! Legendary Coach Frank
Bennett retired from coaching after the

1960 season, Fair Lawn’s first
ever-winless season. His 16 years at the helm were the

longest of any coach. Mike Albergue’s
1988-2001 tenure was next longest followed

by Pete Natale’s 1978-87 reign. Coach Ed
Sheehy was diagnosed with Cancer after the

1964 season and died before the 1965
season. After losing their first two games in ’64,

Sheehy’s CUTTERS began the wonderful 24 game non-losing streak that ended
with

that shocking 40 – 34 upset by the MAROONS of Ridgewood on Thanksgiving
Day of

1966 before some 13,000 fans at what is
now SASSO FIELD. Coach Frank Devens
led

our CUTTERS
to NNJIL championshipsin 1965 and 1966. His 1965 team
remains the

only undefeated team in FLHS history.

The 1970s

19703-6(.333)

19716-3(.667)

19723-5-1(.375)

19732-7(.222)

19742-6-1(.250)

19754-5(.444)

19760-9(.000)

19772-7(.222)

19786-3(.667)

19797-2-1(.778) Made The State Playoffs; lost to Clifton 30 – 0

TOTALS:35-53-3(.398)PF
1,233PA 1,643

1943-79164-141-13 (.538)PF
4,910PA 4,463

Not a good decade but
1978 did bring Pete Natale as head coach and athletic director after Al Reinoso
(1972-74) and Rich Szura (1975-77) couldn’t make our CUTTERS winners. The ‘70s finished strong leading into the
successful 80s.

The 1980s

19809-2(.818) NNJIL
Tri-Champs with Clifton and Passaic Valley

and
Beat Passaic in States at GIANTS STADIUM

before
losing 20- 0 to Passaic Valley in finals.

19812-7(.222)

19820-9(.000)

19832-7(.222)

19847-2(.778) Returned to NBIL
& won Division 1 title

19859-1(.900) Took NBIL
Division 1 title & lost 36-26 to

Passaic
in States.

19867-2(.778)

19879-1(.900) Took NBIL
Division 1 title & lost 12-6 to

Bayonne
in States.

19886-4(.600)Lost 20-6 to JFK
of Paterson in States.

19898-3(.727) Took NBIL
Division 1 title & lost 19-14

to
Hoboken in States after beating North Bergen 14-7.

TOTALS:59-38(.608)PF
1,607PA 1,306

1943-89:223-179-13 (.555)PF 6,517PA 5,769

The 1980s were a great
decade. 1980 saw our CUTTERS win 9
games for the first

time ever. They were
Tri-NNJIL Champs with Clifton and
Passaic Valley and, in

one of the most exciting
games in FLHS history they trailed
the INDIANS of

Passaic 7-0, 12-0, 12-7
and 18-7 before roaring back to win 27-18 in the States at

GIANTS STADIUM. 1984 saw a return to the NBIL, which
Fair Lawn had left in

1959 and our CUTTERS took the Division 1 title in
1984, 85, 87 and 89 and made the State

playoffs in
1980, 85, 87 and 89.

The 1990s

19904-5(.444)

19914-4-1(.500)

19922-7(.222)

19931-8(.111)

19945-4(.556)

19957-2(.778)

19966-3(.667)

19675-4(.556)

19984-6(.400)

19995-5(.500)

TOTALS:43-48-1(.473)PF
1,446PA 1,428

1943-99:
266-227-14(.540)PF 8,240PA 7,331

The 1990s were
not a great decade for our CUTTERS.
1994-96 were their only winning seasons and the ’95 CUTTERS beat Ramapo and the GREEN
RAIDERS’ freshman QB

Chris Simms (son
of Phil, the great GIANTS QB). The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High would finish
out the 20th century with an overall winning record!